Manufacturers of high-quality footwear have long been plagued by the sale of counterfeit footwear, namely imitation goods that are made with the intent to deceive buyers into believing that they are purchasing the true manufacturer's authentic goods. Similar issues exist within the digital realm, where digital products are often subject to unauthorized sale and reproduction. This unauthorized/counterfeit production and/or digital reproduction can erode a brand's value and/or exclusivity, can negatively affect a company's profitability, and may compromise a user's subjective perception of the product as “collectable.”
Market participants and brand enthusiasts in a free market typically assign a higher value to an object if there is limited supply and/or if there is excess demand for that object. While these realities are obvious in the physical real world (particularly to an avid collector), similar market realities also exist within a digital realm.
Within the physical world, many anti-counterfeiting techniques have been developed to help identify counterfeit goods and to prevent illicit sales. Unfortunately, within the digital realm, supply is often unconstrained—if not by the original developer, then by a subsequent party who may freely (or illicitly) duplicate the digital object in its entirety. This often complicates a brand owner's ability to control the exclusivity of a digital object and/or have influence regarding the value of that object. The lack of control over digital object exclusivity then erodes the opportunity for free brand promotion by product enthusiasts and collectors who are in search of that object (as often occurs upon the release of limited production sneakers by “sneakerheads”).
With the proliferation of first and third person video games involving customizable skins, apparel, and gear, there exists an opportunity to engage and influence users in the digital realm via collectable objects so that they may be more engaged with a brand in the physical world. Likewise, there exists a need for a retailer to more directly influence and/or control the nature and ultimate supply of digital objects within this virtual market.